Dead end anchor



-DEAD END ANCHOR Filed Mach 25, 1940 FIG. 1

- Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEAD END ANCHOR Stephen 1. Becker, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.

Application March 23, 1940, Serial No. 325,645

8 Claims. y(Cl. 287-75) My invention is an improved device for attaching a wire, such as an electrical conductor, to some anchoring means. It is particularly directed to improvements in that which is generally known to the trade as a exible clevis dead i.

end anchor. Such dead end anchor usually consists of a short length of wire or cable, adapted to be passed around a portion of some substantial support or through `a hole in an insulator attached to such a support, and having its ends attached, at least one of them detachably, to a yoke holding a wire gripping clamp at its center. The wire gripping clamp is usually some one of the numerous well known devices including a tapered tubular shell, a set of complementarily tapered jaws with serrated inner faces and a spring tending to urge the jaws toward the small end of the taper.

The present invention is directed particularly to the yoke and its connections to the short wire and to the wire gripping clamp.

All dead end devices previously known to me consist of several pieces which may become separated in storage bins and which must necessarily be separated and reassembled during the process of placing in service.

An object of my invention is to provide a dead end clevis in which all members are so permanently fastened together, when manufactured, they they cannot be accidentally or intentionally separated, yet can be easily opened to the extent needed to permit the short wire to be placed around the support or threaded through an insulator and then so permanently fastened to the yoke that it cannot become loose in service.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates an embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a side view of one of my dead end clevices with a strain insulator shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a view, partially in section of the yoke, the wire clamp and the ends of the short wire.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the yoke and the end of the wire clamp.

Fig. 4 is a View of the end of the yoke that holds the detachable end of the short wire.

Fig. 5 is a similar View of an alternative construction.

Fig. 6 is a side view, to a smaller scale showing the short wire in open position ready for threading through an insulator.

Referring to the drawing, I is a wire secured to a pole or other stationary object and passing through a hole 2 in an insulator 3. Through another hole 4 in the insulator and in a manner to surround the portion thereof around the hole 2, there is passed a short wire or cable 5 having, welded or otherwise secured to its ends, larger terminals 6 and I, which are shown as short bars but may be of other shapes such as -ball or acorn shaped, that enter sockets 8 and 9 in a yoke I5. The metal at the outer sideof the socket 8 is bent around, as shown at II', to secureV the terminal B permanently in its socket. At one side of the socket 9 there is a screw l2 which may be backed out to permit disengagement of the terminal l with its socket'or screwed in to prevent such disengagement. As plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the end of the screw I2 is, after insertion in the yoke, upset to prevent accidental removal therefrom.

Fig. 5' shows an alternative construction with ears I8 extending downward vfrom the sides Yof the socket 9 and having holes I9 through them to receive a cotter pin 20 which will prevent escape of the terminal 'l from the socket 9.

As shown in Fig. 2, the yoke I0 has, at its upper side, a counterbore I3 to loosely receive an enlarged head I4 on a wire gripping clamp I5 and, attached to the yoke at the sides of the counterbore, two lugs I5, more plainly shown in Fig. 3, which are bent over the head I4 and prevent its escape from the counterbore I3. The clamp I5 is free to rotate, about its axis, in the yoke I0.

No details of the wire gripping clamp I5 are given as it is of a well known type, examples of which are shown in Patents 2,041,108, issued May 19, 1936, and 2,158,892, issued May 16, 1939, both to Robert A. Becker, Sr., and Stephen P. Becker.

With the screw I2 backed out, as shown in Fig. 6, the terminal 1 can be disengaged from its socket 9 and the wire 5 opened up, as also shown in Fig. 5, so that it can be threaded through a hole I in an insulator 3, then bent down and reengaged with its socket 9. The screw I2 can be screwed up until its head touches terminal 'I and prevents its disengagement.

A wire I1 may be forced into and gripped by the clamp I5 either before or after, as may be more convenient, the short wire 5 is secured to the insulator 3, or other support.

From the foregoing it may be seen that I have provided a flexible clevis Adead end clamp, which, during the process of manufacture, has all its parts so secured together that they cannot be accidentally or intentionally separated, which can be easily opened to the extent required for threading through a hole in a strain 2 insulator or passing around another support, and which, after so passing, can be secured in a manner Ythat prevents any danger of accidenta loosening or disengagement.

Where in the claims the words short wire are used, they are intended to include either a Y short solid wire, a stranded cable, or other suitable tension member.

Where the word hingedly is herein used, it is intended to mean free rotation of the member referred to, through a considerable angle, about an axis at right angles to its length but not to necessarily exclude rotation about other axes.

`The -word unitary,r as used in the claims, is intended to specify that all partsare so secured together as to prevent detachment' of rany one from the others without non-elastic distortion.

The words permanently secured or non-de-` tachably secured are also intended to specify that the parts are non-separable Without nonelastic distortion. w Y

Having described my inventionand the manner in ywhich 'it is used,` that which I vclaim as new-and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

' 1 `A clamp-for attaching affwire toV an anchor comprising a. shortA wire withtwo terminals, a

for-movement at right angles to the portion of Y the short wire adjacent thereto.

yokehavingqat ,one end, a socket permanently attached to one' terminal, atthe other end, a socket attachable to theother terminal and, at

the-center, a ,hole and counterbore loosely en-v closing a wire grippingiclamp having a headpermanentlysecured in the couhterbore by lugs on the yoke bent over its head.

2. InI-a unitary deadgend clamp the combination of a wire having an enlarged terminal on each end and a wire gripping 'clamp with a yoke having,'at-itscenter, means :forv loosely permanentlyholding `said-,wire rgripping clamp, means at one end to non-detachably hold` one enlarged terminal and means, at the other end, ,to detachablyhold the Yother enlarged terminal.'

"3; Inj a clamp as describedin claim 21 means to prevent accidental disengagement of the detachably, held terminal. V

5.In a clevis dead end as described in claim 4 'means to secure said detachably secured terminal yagainst accidental detachment.

6.,'A dead end wire anchoring device including a wire gripping clamp, a yoke and a short wire all permanently secured together in one unity by means including ya loose fitting non-detachable swivelled connection between the wire gripping clamp and the yoke, anon-detachable Y hinged connection between oneend of the short wire and the yoke,`and a detachable hinged connection between the'other end of the wire and the yoke. Y

7.V A unitary dead lend Vanchor comprising a yoke, a tension member having one end non-de- Ytachably, hingedly secured to one end thereof, .means to detachably securethe other end oi said member to the yoke', a wire gripping clamp loosely fitting in thehole and having a head larger than the hole, andlugs'on the yoke bent over the head to prevent escape of the clamp from the yoke.

8. A unitary exible dead end anchor includ-V ing a yoke, a tension member having one end non-detachablyV hingedly secured to one end thereof, means to deta'chably hingedlyv secure the other end of said member to the other endV of the yoke-and a wire gripping clamp non-detachably swivellysecured tothe center of the yoke. f A f VSTEPHEN P, .externenl L 

